District Five has announced its science fair winners. The event was held at Dutch Fork High School.
The District Science and Engineering Fair took place February 8 at Dutch Fork High School.
The District Elementary, Intermediate, Middle, and High School Science and Engineering Fair had 174 projects representing the fields of Earth and Environmental Science, Math and Engineering, Life Science, Physical Science, and Human, Behavioral, and Social Science. The district had 332 students in grades 5-12 representing 19 schools along with The Center for Advanced Technical Studies and FIVE. Participation increased from last year’s Fair by 178 students.
“I am so proud of this year’s District Science and Engineering Fair winners and award recipients as we had an incredible amount of talent displayed at our single-day Science Fair event,” School District Five Coordinator of Science and Health Nickie Powell said. “I was thoroughly impressed by all of the students’ ideas and the level of creativity and abundance of knowledge they utilized to solve problems and provide solutions. This year’s event was truly inspiring. I wish all those competing in the Regional Science Fair at USC on March 7th and 10th the best of luck.”
2025 Elementary (5th Grade) Science Fair Award Recipients
Math/Engineering
1st Place: Evan Yancey-Jones (Harbison West Elementary)- Wind Turbines: They will change the world
Earth/Environmental Science
1st Place: Macallister Alspach, Aubreigh Buckingham, Caroline Pressley (Chapin Intermediate)- What Absorbs More? Sand, Soil or Sand and Rock Mix
Life Science
1st Place: Lillian Chen (Harbison West Elementary)- Time to Shine: Investigating Effective Tooth-Brushing Practices
2nd Place: Montrell Felder, Maddy Harley, Sela Smith-Galloway (Dutch Fork Elementary)- Home Made vs. Store Bought: The Battle for the Best Hand Sanitizer
Physical Science:
1st Place: Alaina Dickerson (Harbison West Elementary)- The Great Sugar Dissolving Project
2nd Place: Zeus Chung, Lewis Hardison, Cyrus Ranieri, McKinley Novak – (Chapin Intermediate)- Gravity Experiment
3rd Place: Molly Goodwin, Abigayle McNutt (Leaphart Elementary)- What Cleaning Solution Cleans Best?
Honorable Mention: Aubrey Spohn (Dutch Fork Elementary)-Super Slime
2025 Intermediate/Middle School Science Fair Award Recipients
Math/Engineering
1st Place: Milly Berry, Alexis Greene, Mary Mac Hood, Aniston Hooks (Chapin Middle)- The Slowest Fall
2nd Place: Macy Hewitt, Carter Madrid, Jude Williams (Chapin Middle)- Eiffel Tower of Bean
3rd Place: Aubrey Drake, Madeline McGrady, Madelyn Pinner (Chapin Middle)- Wild Water Rollercoaster Ride
Earth/Environmental Science & Life Science
1st Place: SaiRuthvika Garapati, Scarlett Gore (Irmo Middle)- Milkweed Madness
2nd Place: Abigail Bickley, Sadie Blocker, Madelyn Peurifoy, Lacey Takach (Chapin Middle)- SunSation
Honorable Mention: Cecelia Newberry, Troy Rabon (Irmo Middle)- Give Green a Chance
Physical Science
1st Place: Rahaf Alzuabidi, Carenza Smith (Dutch Fork Middle)- Milk Mash
2nd Place: Jackson Besley (FIVE)- Poppin’ Corn
3rd Place: Mckenna Dwyer, Ava Leach (Chapin Middle)- Cool Reactions
Honorable Mention: Cooper Hodges, Cole Hooks (Chapin Middle)- Crazy Corn Starch
Honorable Mention: Birkes Bryan, Mason Lorick, Dean Saunders, Gabriel Wood (Chapin Intermediate)- Colored Paper Temperature Experiment
Honorable Mention: Haley Abercrombie, Layla Dodson, Ethan Keisler, Aidan Roney (Chapin Intermediate)- Frosty Frigid Water
2025 High School Science & Engineering Fair Award Recipients
Math/Engineering
1st Place: Annabell Ashton, A’Najzah Mayers, Madeline Touchberry (The Center & Chapin High) – NaviCane
2nd Place: Hunter Majka (The Center & Chapin High) – ADAPT – Autonomous Descent Adjustments for Parachute Technology
3rd Place: Killian Evans, Diego Sanches (The Center & Spring Hill High) – Clean Coop Technologies
Honorable Mention: Andrew Brannon (The Center & Spring Hill High), Noah Perkins (The Center & Dutch Fork High) – Cycle Guard
Honorable Mention: Joah Schaefer (The Center & Chapin High) – Rocket altitude control utilizing adjustable drag fins
Earth/Environmental Science
1st Place: Hunter Taylor (Dutch Fork High) – The implementation of ostracods as a form of algae control in aquaculture greenwater systems
2nd Place: Greyson Ashley (Spring Hill High) – Biochar Yield Optimization Through Variations in Pit-Firing Kiln Design
3rd Place: Virginia Parrish (Chapin High) – Impact of increased salinity on Rhizophora Mangle
Honorable Mention: Skyla Geiger, Kennedy Cook (The Center & Irmo High) – A Spoonful Bacteria: Understanding Dangers of Leftover Rice
Honorable Mention: Jacob Braden (Chapin High) – LED Wavelength Effect on Iron Richness in Spinach Leaves
Physical Science
1st Place: Delaney McGrath (Chapin High) – Jewelry Tarnishing and Bacterial Growth Causing Contact Dermatitis
2nd Place: Lydia Womble (The Center & Chapin High) – Nutraceuticals: Honesty is the Best Pill-acy
Life Science
1st Place: Margaret Ryan Floyd, Layla Lindler, Piper Peterson (The Center & Chapin High)- Evaluating the Efficacy of Sunscreen Brands
2nd Place: Megan Proctor, Hayden Sanders, Sara Wessinger (The Center & Chapin High) – Discover the Heartburn Difference
Human/Behavioral/Social Science
1st Place: Brenna Sellers (The Center & Spring Hill High) – On Reducing Stress in Classrooms: Peripheral Vision Blocking Glasses
2nd Place: Logan Barilla (Chapin High) – Effectiveness of Financial Literacy Courses in High School
3rd Place: Laiza Smith (The Center & Spring Hill High) – Tech Neck: On the Correlation Between Childhood Screen Time and Accurate Parental Response
Honorable Mention: Mhyla Roussel (Chapin High) – To what extent does a predominantly white high school impact teenage black girl’s self-perception of their attractiveness?
Honorable Mention: Jillian Wertz (Chapin High) – Perception of a brand based on disclaimers
Honorable Mention: Nitya Cherukumalli (Spring Hill High) – To what extent does foundational financial literacy among high school students in District XYZ influence their brand loyalty towards Kellogg’s family-sized cereals when faced with shrinkflation practices?
Photo: Math/Engineering – 1st Place: Annabell Ashton, A’Najzah Mayers, Madeline Touchberry (The Center & Chapin High) – NaviCane
